News, commentary, and insights on adventures, and adventurers, from around the globe.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Mountain Biking to the Summit of Kilimanjaro

In February of this year, mountain bikers Rebecca Rusch and Patrick Sweeney set off on an epic ride to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. They spent six days riding up – and down – the mountain, which is the tallest in Africa at 19,341 feet (5895 meters) in height. They rode that challenging route to raise funds for World Cycling Relief, a nonprofit that seeks to provide bicycles for people living in developing countries. The Kilimanjaro ride managed to raise nearly $20,000 for the cause, which allowed the organization to purchase 131 new bikes.

Now, several months after cycling to the roof of Africa, Rusch was interviewed about the experience by the team at Gear Junkie. In the article she talks about how they got organized for the expedition, why they chose Kilimanjaro, and what it was like on the trail. Rebecca, who is an experienced endurance and adventure sport athlete, called it the hardest ride she has ever done, which should give you an indication of how challenging this undertaking was for her and Patrick. She also shares some insight into what the trail was like, and the gear that she used along the way too.

For an even better look at this amazing mountain bike ride, check out the video below. It is a 7-minute short documentary on the endeavor that will provide even more insights into the ride. Having climbed this mountain myself, I can tell you that it wouldn't be easy to go up or down it on a bike.